


Escape

by MangoMegs27



Series: Skelebros' Struggles On the Surface [2]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Brief body horror, Brotherly Love, Extreme angst, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Mentioned Character Death, Mild Language, Night Terrors, Panic Attacks, alternate endings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-25
Updated: 2017-04-25
Packaged: 2018-10-23 20:06:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,932
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10726293
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MangoMegs27/pseuds/MangoMegs27
Summary: Sans suffers from night terrors and Papyrus tries to help like he did before the Barrier broke, but Sans' nightmares are completely different from the ones he used to have Underground, and Papyrus isn't so sure he can help this time. Part 2/2 of "Skelebros Struggles on the Surface" though not related, can definitely be read on its own.





	Escape

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry for the late upload on this, I actually had to stop halfway through so I could get the nerve to finish it. I have like five fics going on in my head at once and it's hard to keep them all straight *laughs sheepishly* btw I apologize for the censor, I'm not used to writing out major swear words (still not apparently) so just bear with me. The point still gets across. Oh and one last thing: THIS ISN'T FONTCEST. That is all. *floats away*

**_[Recommended Background Music](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TvKdKlIZJ8M) _ **

_Papyrus was dreaming of spaghetti._

_Not just spaghetti though. He was dreaming about a ginormous spaghetti festival, aired live on Mettaton's new show. He'd first learned the concept of festivals the other day while watching TV. Humans seemed to have festivals for everything, so why not spaghetti?_

_All his friends were there too, the only thing he loved more than pasta. Undyne and Alphys were cheering and waving at him on a sort of stage, Toriel was laughing with Frisk and Asgore watched them all with regal assurance. Mettaton was next to him and had a metal arm draped around his shoulders, whispering kind things in his nonexistent ear and of course Sans was–_

Papyrus jolted awake as an all-too familiar scream rang out through the house. The tall skeleton scrambled to get out of his bed but the covers were tangled around his gangly limbs. He growled in frustration as his phalanges pulled at the material, trying to get it unstuck.

As soon as he was free he leapt up and threw on a pink fluffy robe, tying it around his middle. He then raced down the hall towards Sans' room, the sudden wave of deja vu crashing over him.

Sans used to suffer from night terrors all the time back when they lived Underground. He dreamed about horrible things, about murderous children and never ending cycles of death and despair.

But it had been over a month since Frisk had freed them all and Sans hadn't had a nightmare since, or if he had, he'd been successfully able to keep it from his brother.

Reaching Sans' door, he paused for half a second before throwing it open. Ordinarily he'd be ashamed at his rudeness for not knocking but when it came to the well-being of his older brother, well, he didn't really give a damn (pardon the language).

And speaking of his well-being, it appeared Sans was in the throes of a particularly bad nightmare. He thrashed wildly under the blankets, crying and moaning. As Papyrus ran to his side he saw Sans' eye sockets closed tightly, sweat pouring from his brow. He muttered as his head whipped right and left.

"n-no, please no. come back, don't leave me, please papy...PAPYRUS!" The younger skeleton flinched; Sans hardly ever raised his voice above his usual lowercase speaking font.

"SANS, SANS WAKE UP, I'M HERE, I'M OKAY." He reached out and grasped Sans' shoulders, shaking him until his brother's eye sockets fluttered open.

Without a word, the smaller skeleton threw his arms out around Papyrus' neck, sobbing into his shoulder. Papyrus held him tightly, rubbing his back as it heaved and shook.

"Shh, shh, Sans, it's okay." He soothed, lowering his voice considerably. Sans meanwhile grabbed fistfuls of Papyrus' robe in his bony fingers, holding onto his brother like he would dust if he let go. "I'm okay. You're okay. Everything's okay." He repeated this softly over and over until Sans' sobs quieted down to muffled hiccups.

Papyrus crawled up onto the bed and sat, his back rigid against the headboard. Sans, wasting no time, crawled up to his side, wrapping a hand around his middle, resting his head on his brother's chest. A few tears still persisted, slowly making tracks down bone. It was an old, familiar routine for them.

They stayed like that for a few minutes until Papyrus was confident that Sans could talk without bursting into tears again.

"Was it the same one?" A few seconds ticked by. Sans shook his head, burying his face into the front of Pap's robe.

"just...just when i thought i was done with these p-paps...this is entirely new." He took a shuddering breath. "i-i've been lyin' to ya, papyrus." Sans didn't want to look up and see that same look of disappointment on his brother's face. Just like when he confessed about being aware of the time lines and resets a few years ago.

Pap didn't know much or understood it completely for that matter, but he grasped the concept that Sans had seen everyone die too many times to count, causing the frequent night terrors.

"It's okay, brother," Papyrus spoke, pulling him closer. "You already told me, remember?"

"no, no. not about that, this is something else." The older brother waited for a reply but realized he wasn't getting one. Sans took a shaky breath, then began. "s-since we came to the surface, i haven't been doing too well, bro. i mean, yeah sure it was fine the first couple days before i started slipping. i thought i was doing better though, this last week, and then..." the nightmare, the completely new terror that still made him react the same way as the old ones.

_Sans was on the surface, sitting on the walkway just outside their new home, covered in his brother's dust. He waited and waited for a reset but none came. Any minute now, he should wake up in Snowdin and hear his brother, alive and well bustling about downstairs as he made breakfast and prepared to head out and re-calibrate his puzzles._

_He sat there, crying and trembling for what felt like years, but still, no reset._

_This time, his brother wasn't coming back. Sans was all alone._

_He couldn't stop his hands from shaking violently as he reached out and grabbed what was left of his brother in his fingers. Tears fell from his sockets and splashed into the dust. His voice wavered and cracked as he begged for his brother to come back, for the RESET to take effect.  
_

_"_ _n-no, please no. come back, don't leave me, please papy...PAPYRUS!"_

_But no one came._

"What changed?" Papyrus' familiar, comforting, _still-alive_ voice broke through his flashback. He was talking much quieter than he normally did, which Sans was thankful for, he knew how hard it was for the taller skeleton to lower his volume. He was also pressing his skull against the top of his brother's head, and he leaned into it for support, to remind himself that Papyrus hadn't dusted in his hands.

"i...i had a video chat with frisk today."

"And?"

"and they...they–" He paused and took a deep breath. "they p-promised never to RESET." Sans stopped talking but Papyrus waited, expecting more. When he didn't continue Papyrus was confused.

"Isn't that a good thing?"

"...don't you get it bro, they promised never to RESET!" Papyrus unwittingly let out a huff of annoyance.

"Repeating it doesn't help, brother. I thought you didn't want the human to RESET anymore. From what you've told me you hated reliving the same days over and over back Underground. It's...it's what you used to have nightmares about." Another bout of silence, this one lasting two whole minutes. Finally Sans replied softly, his voice shaking slightly.

"i do. i did. i don't know. i thought i did. i didn't think anything could be worse than having nothing you do matter. but now suddenly everything i do matters now!" His hands gesticulated wildly. "i haven't had to think about consequences for YEARS. i-i can't, i don't...what if-?" he tried to start over as he lowered his hands, that last sentence had gotten away from him. "before, back underground, whenever i made a mistake, whenever i accidentally snapped at you, whenever...whenever i _lost_ you, it would all be erased. everything would be back to normal, everyone would be back and no one would remember."

"Except you."

"except me. but now..." Papyrus understood. The bigger skeleton was more astute than he usually acted. He recalled Sans' words as he was dreaming.

_"_ _...come back, don't leave me, please papy-"_

He wrapped both arms around the small skeleton and pulled him close, hard enough to make his bones creak.

"I'm not going anywhere, Sans." The stout skeleton flinched violently in his grip at the insinuation of the opposite. His voice wavered with held back emotion.

"you can't guarantee that! you can't guarantee anything paps. i-if i lost you now, it-it would be for good. for _forever._ " His breathing grew rapid as he began to babble nearly incoherently. "i don't want to do anything anymore! it's not like it was underground, i'm not lazy or apathetic anymore. i'm afraid. i'm so terrified to do ANYTHING! i don't want to leave the house, i don't want YOU to leave the house! the only thing i really want to do is grab you and everyone else with my magic where nothing could ever hurt you. i'm so f**cking scared that something will happen to you, or tori, or the kid or undyne or alphys or even asgore and-and-and..." Even though skeleton monsters didn't need to breathe, they still needed to do the motion to sort of 'oxygenate' their magic, which Sans found he couldn't do. He couldn't breathe, his chest constricted painfully and tears blurred his vision. The world around him spun in circles and it felt like he was either going to throw up or pass out. Or both.

Just as the edges of his sight began to blacken, a familiar and loud voice broke through his panicked state once again.

"SANS! SANS SNAP OUT OF IT, YOU'RE FREAKING OUT." Sans took deep breaths to ground himself as the world slowly came back into focus. Papyrus was stroking the back of his skull and giving out low shushes, trying to get him to calm down again.

"s-sorry bro." he was able to steady his breathing slightly but he still couldn't stop his whole body shaking. They sat there in silence for a few minutes until Papyrus was sure Sans would be listening if he spoke.

"Sans, I don't really know what to say, anything that would help that is. All I know is that living in fear isn't a really good way to live your life. I'm not..." he sighed in frustration. "I'm not minimalizing your pain. I know it's not that easy to just simply wake up and decide to be happy. It takes a lot more than that and I can't...I don't think I can help." For once the bigger skeleton felt lost; he truly didn't know how he could help his brother. Usually everything was like a puzzle and had an easy solution, but this was a puzzle he couldn't seem to figure out. Thankfully Sans tried to ease his mind.

"you are helping though, bro. just seeing you happy here, finally on the surface after so long helps me."

"But not enough."

"yeah i know, just, i just gotta work through this myself."

"NO." They both jumped, surprised by the volume of his shout. "I mean, no. You can't struggle with anything alone anymore. I won't allow it." Sans chuckled at that.

"alright bro. so what would you have me do?"

"Hmm." The lanky skeleton debated. "Take each day as it comes I guess. Make every happy moment a happy memory, to hold and cherish. Every good day is a gift, as they say." He paused, hoping Sans was ready to hear this next part. "And...and if something should happen, well..." He ignored his brother stiffen. "Well, we'll cross that gate when we get to it. At least we'll have all those memories to grab on to." Despite the nervousness gnawing at him, Sans' perpetual grin grew a little wider.

"i think the term is 'bridge' bro."

"Well, whatever, you know what I mean."

"heh, yeah." The pauses of silence were nearly bearable now.

"SAY, I KNOW!" Papyrus shouted suddenly, apologizing after realizing he'd startled his brother again. "Let's make a bunch of new memories tomorrow!" He wiggled a bit in glee as the idea began to form into something tangible. "It's Saturday, so you don't have school and I can just take a sick day." After much persuading Toriel had gotten Sans to teach science to middle-schoolers at her new monster school. He hadn't wanted to at first but it ended up being perfect, loving both science and children.

Well, it would have been perfect if he hadn't dreaded leaving the house every morning. And not being able to text Papyrus every thirty minutes to see if he was okay. Paps' job was dangerous after all.

Okay, not really, but any job thought long and hard enough could appear to be so, including being a daytime security guard at the Sunset Mall where Papyrus worked.

Sans laughed. "papy, you've never once taken a sick day, even underground, even when you actually were sick!" Papyrus chuckled, hugging the other skeleton again.

"WELL, I CAN MAKE AN EXCEPTION FOR MY ONE AND ONLY BROTHER. Undyne gave me a list of fun things for us to do whenever we had some free time. Places like a 'fun fair', an 'aquarium' and something called a "Farmers Market". She said I'd particularly enjoy that last one, for some reason. Originally she and Alphys wanted to come with us but I'm sure they'd understand."

"nah, bro i'd...i'd like them to come along too. and anyone else who could make it. the more the merrier, to make better memories. y'know?"

"Yes, I do know. I understand." Sans sighed.

"paps i...i think i'm gonna try and go back to sleep now. your idea is really good, i think it helped."

"WELL OF COURSE IT DID. HOW COULDN'T IT, COMING FROM THE GREAT PAPYRUS? NYEH HEH HEH." Exhaustion rolled over the small skeleton in waves, due to the lack of sleep, the nightmares and the intensely draining emotions.

"c-can you stay tonight?" Stars, he hadn't asked Papyrus to stay with him since he was a baby bones. But, right now he kinda felt like a baby bones again so it worked.

"Sure, brother." He replied without hesitation.

The two skeletons settled down into the bed, prepared for sleep. For the first time in a long while Sans felt safe, wrapped in his brother's strong arms. Protected against the world. It was a good escape from the terrors that had been plaguing his every waking and unwaking moment. Perhaps Papyrus was right.

Everything was going to be okay.

**WARNING: STOP FOR ENDING 1**

* * *

**_[2nd Background Song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vg96Q32rVw) _ **

Sans woke up well-rested and feeling better than he'd had in a long time. And for once, his sleep was nightmare-free. Still not feeling like opening his eyes, he stretched under the covers, noting that Papyrus wasn't nestled by his side anymore. That was alright though, Sans could hear him downstairs working on breakfast. The odd but familiar smell of questionably-tasting spaghetti drifted up the stairs and into his room.

Huh, that was strange. Lately Papyrus had given up the spaghetti in favor for exploring new recipes that Toriel had kindly given him for making actual breakfast foods. And the noises didn't sound like they were coming from the kitchen. At least the direction of the kitchen in their new home...wait.

Sans' eyes snapped open.

no. NO.

The skeleton leapt out of his now much-too small bed and ran to the window, throwing open the curtains. As he looked out and registered his surroundings he gasped suddenly, throwing a hand to his chest.

**CRACK**. He cried out in pain, hearing the audible crack like a gunshot in his soul, something that only happened in extreme grief or traumatic situations. He whimpered for more than one reason as he bent over slightly. A part of him had just irreversibly died. Well, as much as irreversibly meant now. Which was nothing.

Unable to look out at the horrible familiar snow-filled landscape any longer, he turned around and slowly, mechanically crawled back into bed. He was uncontrollably shaking as he pulled the covers back over his body, tears streaming down his sockets but no energy to put effort into actually crying. His hand bunched in the fabric of his old, ratty t-shirt over his soul, the pain in the new crack not abating.

He didn't know what was worse, knowing that the kid lied to him only hours after making their promise, remembering the joy in Paps' eyes telling him of all the exciting memories they were now never going to make, or the revolting realization of the hidden relief deep inside him.

All those years, all those resets, the only reason he kept himself sane was the tiny, tiny glimmer of hope that it would one day all end. Thrown back into that pit, he found he no longer had the luxury of hope. No matter what happened, no matter what he did, Papyrus wouldn't remember, in fact, no one would. The word 'consequences' had just been erased from his dictionary, as if the concept had been thrown into the core and wiped away forever, just like Gaster had. Nothing, not even making his brother smile again, mattered. Not if he'd have to do it all over again the next day, and the next, never EVER ENDING.

Sans opened his eyes, sockets as empty as the void as a new discovery dawned on him. He didn't know if it was the new crack in his soul, or the blatant loss of his happy ending being ripped from his hands, AGAIN, but he no longer felt like himself. Sans, the skeleton that he once was back before he'd been thrown in hell, after experiencing Heaven for just a short while, was gone.

After all, if consequences were now essentially destroyed, what was to stop him from doing anything he wanted?

A sick, empty smile slid across his face, devoid of hope, devoid of all emotion.

_Anything._

And he'd start with the kid.

**Author's Note:**

> Please send all hate mail to my tumblr, because I don't have one (at least one that relates to my fics). SORRY. Here wait no, Alternate ending: Sans woke up to Papyrus making Toriel's strawberry crepes and that day they went and did everything that was on their list with all their friends, and they all lived happily ever after and Frisk keeps their promise to never RESET. THE END.
> 
> Hopefully my next fic will be an AU Battles Prompt type thing so subscribe if you want to get notified when that comes up :)


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